


Season 8 Rewrite

by 9dikaesdogimed



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Canon Universe, F/M, Fix-It, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), How Do I Tag, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, I Tried, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Lotor gets what he deserves, M/M, Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Mostly Canon Compliant, Multi, Season/Series 08, Slow Burn, What Was I Thinking?, allurance in the beginning, eventual Klance, lance arc to the best of my ability, probable veraxca, season 8 fix-it, vld season 8 had too many plot holes for me to fix, vld season 8 rewrite, which isn't much but i'll try
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-09 18:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17411603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/9dikaesdogimed/pseuds/9dikaesdogimed
Summary: A rewrite of season 8 in which I try to fix the many, many problems it had.





	Season 8 Rewrite

_An ugly monster roared and fought against Voltron. The Green Lion took a hit and the monster hit particularly hard on the arms._

_“Hooooold it! I’m gettin’ all shook up!” yelled out Pidge in a high, squeaky voice._

Pidge stared intently at the screen, watching the TV show that had been based on her and her friends’ adventures.

“I don’t really sound like that, right Bebe?” Bebe snuffled and turned to look up at Pidge, who had decided to bunch her hair up into pigtails. Bebe settled down closer to Pidge.

* * *

  
Allura watched as the Garrison doctors monitored the unconscious Altean and Lotor, her brow furrowed with thought. Romelle came to stand next to her, and tried to offer support.

“You know, Luca and I didn’t always get along back in the colony, but I still respected her for many things; she had a great desire to be a part of something bigger than herself and had an inner strength most did not. Any maybe Lotor will forget everything and have no knowledge of us!” Allura didn’t turn to Romelle; instead, she stared harder at Luca, her frown deepening.

“If she had such a desire, that is what may have caused her to become so susceptible to manipulation,” Allura said, remembering of her time with Lotor and staring at his limp body connected to the machines. Lotor had played her deepest desires in a similar way, and while there’d been no reports of suspicious activity, Allura could not help the sick feeling in her stomach caused by the thought that maybe these circumstances were connected.

* * *

  
“Well, I think that’s everything!” Hunk dusted his hands off and turned to his mother with a smile. His mother offered him a stack of two boxes.

“Here, all of the family recipes--and something extra, just for you, Hunk!” Hunk eagerly opened the top box and took in the delicious smell and wonderful sight of banana cake.

“Banana cake! Mom, you’re the best!” Hunk’s eyes glittered with joy. His mother smiled warmly at him.

“We’re just so proud of you, Hunk; you’ve done so many amazing things for the universe,” his mother said, “take these recipes with you so that you’ll always have a piece of us, even in space.” His dad nodded and gave Hunk a strong pat on the back.

“We have to go now. We love you!” His mother waved goodbye as she and his dad walked out. He turned to a sullen looking Lance, sitting at a table stirring a warm drink.

“Big day tomorrow, huh? Man, we’re already launching back into space, and it seems like a lifetime ago you piloted the Blue Lion and blasted us off into space. I mean, look at where we are now! We’re valiant, brave, rugged heroes going back into what could be the final battle!”

“Yeah.”

“You know, we’re pretty awesome heroes right? We’re so awesome that they even made a TV show about us! Lance, did you see it?”

“Mmhm.”

“Yeah, they got you pretty spot on, but Coran is kind of weird. He’s like, meugh, so serious. Allura is, uh, a little _different_ too. And Keith is friendly _and_ happy all of the time!” Hunk chuckles. “Oh yeah, and I’m pretty sure they’re hinting at some sort of romance between Keith and Allura-”

“What?! Keith and Allura? No! It should be Lance and Allura!” Lance groaned and stared forlornly down into his drink, sinking down in his seat.

“Ooh, love triangle huh? I like where you’re taking this!” Hunk wiggled his eyebrows and did finger guns towards Lance.

“No, no, no! Ugh, it’s not that.” Lance sinks down further in his seat; Hunk suddenly remembers Lance’s goal.

“Oh, OH! You said you were gonna ask Allura on a date! You asked her didn’t you?! She said no? Aw man, she said no and here I am rubbing it in your face-”

“She didn’t say _no_ ; I just haven’t asked her. Yet.”  
“Aw, did you chicken out? Man-”

“I was going to ask her, but she’s been spending so much time in the medbay because of that Altean and Lotor. And I know she’s really worried about that Altean because it’s like one of the last of her people and Lotor is, well, _him_ and--I just don’t think this is a good time.” Lance looked down at his drink again.

“What?! Lance, no! No, no, no! There is no other time! We’re going back into space tomorrow! You are asking her today, young man, no excuses!” Hunk looked at Lance with a firm expression, and Lance met Hunk’s stubborn gave with his own hopeful one.

* * *

  
“Everyone! I welcome you to our last briefing here on Earth. It’s been several months since we began to rebuild the destruction caused by the Galra, and tomorrow, we launch back into space to continue our liberation efforts for the planets still under the Galras’ tyrannical influence.” Shiro looked around the room, seeing the familiar faces of his team and the Garrison officers. Deep down, he wished there was another face he could still see, but he knew it wasn’t possible.

“Commander Holt, what is your team’s report?” Shiro turned towards Sam.

“We’ve confirmed that there has been no Galra activity within the Milky Way or in several other galaxies. It appears that Earth was Sendak’s only target.” Shiro nods his head in affirmation and turns to Keith.

“Where are we with Earth’s defenses?” Shiro looks on, proud of who Keith has become as he gives his report.

“I finished my checks with all of the Garrison facilities around the world. All defenses are up and running. Earth is all set with everything to keep itself safe when we’re gone.”

“Great! And Atlas preparations?” Shiro turns to Veronica for her report.

“Repairs to the IGF-Atlas were completed last week, and it has since passed every test protocol we’ve put it through.”

“Good. Any updates on the Altean pilot and Lotor?” He looks to Allura.

“Both are still unresponsive, but they could wake any day now. Perhaps, if we had a little more time, we could find out who sent Luca. The information could be advantageous for us and allow us to have the upper hand.” Allura looked so hopeful, but Shiro knew they couldn’t wait.

“But we can’t delay our mission for the slight chance that Luca will wake up and be willing to tell us who sent her. And we don’t know the mental state of Lotor. At the moment, our most important mission is help the planets under Galra rule,” Keith said, “And with the liberated planets, we might be a force big enough to overcome whomever sent Luca against us. Plus, we can’t let the Galra reorganize.”

“I’m sorry, Allura; Keith is right. However, we’ll be in constant communication with Earth. We will know when Luca and Lotor wake up.” Shiro gives an apologetic look to Allura and continues with a smile.

“I have one more thing I’d like to discuss; today is our last night on Earth. We’ve all worked hard and ahead of us we have what might be the longest mission ever. It might take many years for us to finish it. So, I’m ordering you now to take some time off and be with the ones you love. You’ve all earned it.” Shiro smiled as he watched the happy, chattering, smiling people filed out of the conference room before letting his own smile fall from his face. He knew where _he_ wanted to go this evening.

  
* * *

Lance looked around nervously for Allura; he spotted her walking towards the medbay with Romelle. He gave Hunk an anxious look, but Hunk grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

“Hey, uh, Allura!” Lance twiddled his thumbs nervously as Allura turned to look at him.

“Yes, Lance, what is it?” Lance gave a nervous smile.

“Uh . . . nothing much! Just . . . checking in! So, uh, how are . . . things?” Allura gave him a confused look.

“I’m sorry, Lance, but I really need to be getting back. You heard what I said in the meeting; Luca or Lotor could regain consciousness any moment now.”

“Uh, um, right! Yeah, um, I don’t wanna keep you, so . . .” Lance trailed off as Allura turned back around and started walking away again. Lance slumped over in disappointment and started to walk away, but he was met with Hunk’s iron presence. Lance mentally gulped at the look on his friend’s face.

Hunk grabbed Lance by the shoulders, spun him around, and gave him a hard push back into the direction of Allura and Romelle. Lance was propelled between the two Alteans and left to the mercy of their stares.

“I-I was actually wondering if you would, uh--if you’d want, of course--if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight! A-and my family! Dinner with me and my family tonight?” Lance saw Hunk give him a thumbs up and an encouraging grin, so he kept going.

“My mom is cooking for our last night together, and I-I just thought you could join us!” He gave Allura a wobbly smile and hoped for the best.

“That sounds lovely, Lance, but I’m sorry; I can’t.” Lance’s heart dropped; Romelle cut in.

“Allura, I understand that you’re worried about Luca and Lotor, but we’re all worried about you! Please, take some time to rest. It’ll be good for you to follow what Shiro said today in the meeting and clear you mind; relax!” Lance thanked all of the stars for Romelle.

“Right! Yeah! Ye-yeah! All that stuff she said! Totally!” Lance saw Hunk shake his head negative and mentally slapped himself. Allura looked down in thought, but then she smiled up at Lance.

“Perhaps I should . . . Well if that’s the case, then dinner sounds wonderful! I’d love to.” Allura fawned internally of how adorably quick Lance put on that big, cocky smile she was so used to.

“Really? Alright, yes! Me, you, us, dinner, got it!” Lance shot finger guns in Allura’s direction as Hunk slowly pulled Lance away to prevent further embarrassment.

  
* * *

  
Lance’s mind was going in all sorts of directions; Hunk could tell from the fidgeting of his fingers and his nervous glances. Maybe Shiro could give Lance some moral support; he seemed like he’d be popular with dates. He spotted Keith on his way out.

“Keith!” Keith looked to Hunk and offered a hesitant wave.

“Did you need something?” Keith glances at the fidgeting Lance and raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, uh, I was wondering if you knew where Shiro went because I think our little lover boy might need, uh, some advice.” Keith looked more confused but continued to give an answer.

“Last I saw him, he was headed for the Garrison Memorial Wall.”

“Oh gosh, does he not have someone to be with? No family? No friends? Wait-we’re his friends! Oh no! Did his girlfriend die in the battle? Augh, he never said anything! He told all of us to go spend time with our loved ones when he doesn’t have anyone himself! We could’ve given him support! W-we could be with him right now! Keith! We have to do something!” Hunk looked pleadingly at Keith. Then he realized Lance was still next to him in his glazed-over state.

“Lance! Oh no buddy, wait, I totally forgot! Maybe you can go to Coran for help since Shiro is . . . unavailable.” He gives Lance a tiny nudge which shakes Lance out of his stupor.

“Yeah . . . Coran.” Lance walks away, leaving Keith to wonder what had happened to the usually happy boy to make him act so strangely. Keith turned his attention back to Hunk.

“Uh, no. Shiro did not have a girlfriend, but someone important to him did die in Earth’s first battle against Sendak. Do you remember Professor Waite?” Hunk nodded, his eyes wide. Professor Waite had seemed so scary and cold when Hunk first stepped in his engineering class, but he’d been one of the nicer teachers Hunk had.

“Adam--Professor Waite--was Shiro’s, uh, _boy_ friend. He was in the first fleet sent out against the Galra.” Keith awkwardly looked down at his shoes as Hunk put the pieces together.

“Aw man, I had no idea. Th-that’s just messed up! W-we should go offer support!” Hunk’s eyes started watering up. Keith gave a small smile at Hunk’s love for his friends and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t stress it; I’ve talked with Shiro about Adam. He’s . . . he’s healing; we all are. When Shiro took me in, Adam was the second person to care about me.” Keith’s mind flashes back to the first time they interacted; Shiro had left Keith in his room after a fight because he had to rush out for another appointment. Adam had come out to tidy up a bit and was met with the sad sight of a badly bruised and cut up Keith. They stared at each other for a bit until Adam gave a small sigh and reached for the first aid kit near the cabinet. Reaching him, Adam started to clean him up.

“You’re a good kid; I’ve seen your grades and scores in the simulator,” Adam had said as he put away the kit, “But sometimes the best can be lead down troubling paths. Try and stay on the lighter road, okay kid?” He’d ruffled Keith’s hair and set down a cup of tea for Keith. Keith didn’t like tea, but he drank the whole cup as he watched this new, caring man clean up the space.

“Keith? Keith, hey man, you with me?” Hunk waved a hand anxiously in front of Keith’s face.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine, Hunk, don’t worry. I was just . . . remembering something Adam told me.”

“I’m gonna go bake something for Shiro; hopefully that’ll help him feel better if he’s feeling really sad right now. Hmm, I’m gonna need . . .” Hunk trailed off and started muttering ingredients as he walked away from Keith. Keith chuckled and headed for the Black Lion.

  
* * *

  
Pidge stood next to a glass case of vegetation with Beezer beside her watering another. She heard the mechanical doors swish open but paid no attention to it, thinking that it was just another scientist or curious cadet. But when she heard Allura’s hesitant voice speak out, she looked up.

“Um, hello Pidge! I was wondering if you could help me acquire the proper attire for an  
outing?” Allura was fidgeting nervously, and beside her, Romelle was quivering with excitement.

“An . . . outing? What do you mea-”

“She has a date! With pointy chin!” Romelle gripped Allura’s shoulders excitedly and beamed with happiness. Pidge’s eyes widened in surprised.

“A date . . . with Lance?! Wow . . .” Allura watched as Pidge’s expression turned slightly irritated; she wondered what could have made that happen.

“Yes . . . I was hoping you’d help me find something suitable to wear.” Allura smiled hopefully.

“Well . . . I heard that the mall is opening today. Maybe you can find something there-”

“Ha, Katie and fashion? Now that’s something I thought I’d never see match up. I’m sorry Allura, but Katie isn’t available at the moment to help you prepare.” Allura’s head turned to the new voice and saw Colleen Holt. Romelle looked at Pidge with big eyes.

“Well, why isn’t she allowed to help?” Pidge adjusted her glasses.

“I’m grounded,” Pidge said, glaring at her mother

“Grounded? I wasn’t aware humans could float!” Romelle looked questioningly at Allura with her large, curious eyes.

“Oh no, Romelle; being grounded is a form of punishment for doing something wrong.”

“Well why is Pidge grounded?”

“Katie is grounded because apparently galavanting off into space to join an army of aliens and robotic lions is a suitable activity for a fifteen year old girl.”

“Well apparently my mother thinks that going into space to find my brother and rescue my dad from an _intergalactic tyrant_ DOESN’T GIVE ME A PASS!” Pidge continued glaring at her mother over the top of her holo-pad.

“ _Not on your life, young lady_.” Colleen’s aura had a deadly vibe on par with Pidge’s fiery one. Romelle jumped behind Allura for protection. Beezer frantically made noises and waved his little robot arms around to try and calm everyone down. Allura looked at Colleen with a trying smile.

“Please, Colleen, having Pidge would be a great help! We promise to stay only in the mall.”

Romelle peaked out from behind Allura.

“Yes! We will not let her leave the ground once!” Romelle piped in. Colleen gave Pidge a hard look, but she sighed and gave in to the three pairs of hopeful eyes trained on her.

  
* * *

  
Lance nervously approached Coran’s room. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. The door swished open to the sight of Coran folding his Altean uniform.

“Ah, Lance! To what do I owe this visit?” Coran smiled cheerfully at Lance.

“Hey Coran! I was just wondering about some Altean, uh, courting . . . customs?”

“You’ve come to just the right person!I have extensive knowledge of the ancient customs of Altea! Why there was one where you’d have stay out during the flaming showers of Bildegran the Great! Ah yes, I shouldn’t forget the one ol’ Pop Pop Wimbleton used to woo my—“ Lance quickly cut Coran before he could ramble any further.

“Well, uh, you see, I’m going on a date tonight with Allura and—“

“WHAT?! But you aren’t Altean! Or royalty! AND YOU CERTAINLY AREN’T ALTEAN ROYALTY!”

“Whoa! Um, I don’t think Allura cares about stuff like that? Or, at least I hope she doesn-”

“Never mind that! Have you even acquired permission from her primary guardian?”

“Well, uh, who’s that?” Coran started muttering under his breath, but then he gave Lance a gleefully evil grin.

“Oh . . . _me_!” Lance gulped.

“Now count to zingor and knock!” Coran pushed a protesting Lance out of his room.

“But Allura already said-! Ugh . . .” Lance sighed in defeat and took a huge breath before knocking on Coran’s door again.

Coran, garbed in a robe and slippers, held a pipe as he slowly swiveled his chair to face Lance.

“Ah, Lance! Come, have a seat.” He pointed at a small plush bench. Lance was in awe and confused; when had that fireplace appeared along with the portrait of Coran and King Alfor? Lance shrugged and took a seat.

“Now, what makes you think you’re qualified for such a prestigious position? Who are your references? I’ll need two of great notoriety speaking of your greatness. Do you have the basic knowledge of the universe? For example, how does a Balmera Convuldrum happen? How-” Coran was spitting things out faster than Lance could think.

“Wh-what?! Wait, Coran, slow down! Position? References? And what the heck is Balmera Convul-whatever?” Coran gave Lance a judging look and blew bubbles out of his pipe.

“A Balmera Convuldrum happens when a Balmera uses its quintessence to reach out to other nearby Balmera. They form a circle, and each Balmera can eject a quintessence ray into the center of the circle. The amount of power depends on how many Balmeras are there. Usually, if a dying Balmera has the quintessence, it will call out for a Convuldrum. Such fascinating planets, I must say!” Coran tweaked his mustache.

“Why didn’t Shay’s Balmera call out for a Convuldrum?” Coran scratched his chin.

“I suppose her Balmera knew it was too dangerous to call more Balmera for the Galra to take advantage of.” Coran muttered thoughtfully before letting out a yell so loud Lance jumped up in surprise.

“AH HA! Clever tactics, my boy, steering me away from courting rules! You certainly won’t be off the hook! Especially with that outfit! Altean courting vestments are of the utmost importance! We’re not on Altea, so we’ll just have to make do.” Coran looked at Lance with a sly smile. 

Then he burst out laughing.

“I’m kidding, my boy! The look on your face! It’s fine; I know you are quite capable of doing many things. Good ol’ Pop Pop Wimbleton played that trick on my--oh well, nevermind that. Just thought I’d do his little tradition to pass it on a bit.” Coran looked saddened for a few seconds before jumping back up to his cheerful personality.

“However, Lance, if you would still like to learn more about Altean courting, I will be more than happy to help.” Lance nodded, having gotten over the shock of Coran’s eccentric prank and relieved that he didn’t actually have to get references.

“Wonderful! Come along, let’s go find you some courting vestments!” Lance grinned at Coran’s excitement and hurried along.

* * *

Lance changed his mind. This was  _ not _ exciting.

  
* * *

  
After Hunk’s talk, Keith decided to check up on Shiro on his way to the Black Lion just to make sure he was okay. As he walked into the memorial hall, he saw Shiro in a chair with a small bouquet of red, magenta, and yellow zinnias. His body was tilted forward, his elbows on his thighs as he stared at Adam’s picture on the wall.

“Hey, Old Timer, how are you doing?” Shiro looked up and gave a small smile.

“Hey, Keith. I’m . . . fine. Really. Why aren’t you relaxing?”

“I’m gonna go on top of the Black Lion and watch the sunset later; just wanted to make sure you were fine.” Shiro heaved a sigh and stood up, putting the bouquet against the wall.

“It’s been months, Keith, and it’s war; people die all the time. I just wish we’d been able to make up. I’m doing better; really, I am. It just hurt a little more today because of . . . well we’re leaving and we don’t know when or if we’ll come back.” Keith punched Shiro’s arm lightly.

“Hey, we’ll make it back; all of us. We’re the Defenders of the Universe.”

“When did you become so encouraging?”

“I had a pretty good teacher.” Shiro let out a little chuckle.

“I’m proud of who you’ve become Keith; it seems like it was almost yesterday when you were the kid who always got into fights. You were so short.” Keith glared at him.

“Yeah, well you look like an old man.”

“Kidding! But seriously; even you and Lance can work together. I always knew he was a good kid; I remember my clone going to him for help. You’ve both grown so much; all of you guys.”

“Hey! Shiro! Keith!” Hunk came walking in with a basket of delicious smelling goods.

“Hey, Hunk.” Shiro smiled internally at the warm aura the boy emitted. In the beginning, he had seemed scared of everything, but Shiro now knew Hunk had a special kind of bravery unique to him.

“So Keith told me about, uh, Adam. And I thought I’d bake something for you because-well food always seems to cheer people up--not that food alone would help you heal from his death! Just thought you’d like something familiar, so I asked around and baked you these.” Taking the basket from Hunk, Shiro lifted the cloth and saw mini taiyaki. He smiled widely at Hunk and pulled him in for a hug.

“Thanks, Hunk.”

“A-and we can even leave some for Adam! I remember reading somewhere that a lot of cultures leave food for the dead.”

“I was thinking about doing that. But how did you make these so fast?”

“Well, Pidge and I engineered this super cool oven that incorporated Allura’s new Altean alchemy--I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s just magic--and I thought I’d test it out.” Shiro looked at the two paladins. They were both so grown up but little aspects still reminded him that they still held remnants of the kids he took under his wing the moment the boarded the Blue Lion.

“Thank you; both of you. Now go have fun! You guys are still kids, y’know?” He gave them two large pats on the back and sent them off. He turned back to face the small plaque with Adam on it.  
“We’ll meet again, Starshooter. Until then . . .” He took out seven taiyaki and placed them beneath the plaque with the zinnia bouquet.

“Wish me luck.” He left the memorial with a lighter heart, not noticing when a light breeze rustled the delicate petals and swirled around him, whistling what sounded like, “Good luck.”

  
* * *

  
Sam rushed to the medical bay where Luca was being held. Luca was sitting upright and clutching her med bed sheets

“What is it?” He looked anxiously at the masked doctor.

“She’s stabilized, but we need to be careful about how we proceed.” Sam nodded.

“I’ll go run and bring Coran to see if he has any suggestions.” He went to go back out when he heard Coran’s distinctive voice come hollering from the . . . _kitchen_?

“YES! WONDERFUL LANCE! ALLURA WILL SWOON! _Oh Lance you look so handsome_ -” Sam decided to put the poor boy out of his misery. He ran over and popped his head in.

“Coran, we have something urgent; Luca has been stabilized.” He pointed ignored Lance’s strange ensemble.

“Oh yes! Right away, Sir Holt. Lance! You may consider me one of your references!” With that, Coran dashed out of the room, dragging Sam with him and leaving poor Lance to wonder about the halls in kitchen utensils.

Arriving at the medbay, Sam saw Shiro had been called in as well. He explained the situation to Coran.

“She’s stabilized, but she won’t speak to any of the doctors. I was hoping a familiar face might put her at ease. Maybe Romelle can help.”

“Right; I’ll see if I can find her.” Coran’s expression turned serious as he walked away to begin his search.

  
* * *

  
There weren’t any nicer words to say this; Lance felt stupid--as would anyone wearing pots and pans for armor with a sausage link around his neck and soup ladles hanging from his sides. He moped around the halls, trying to ignore the stares and giggles. He wanted to talk to someone, but everyone was busy with their own fun and he didn’t want to bother them. Then again . . . Keith was probably somewhere being all emo and alone. Keith had helped him once . . . maybe he’d help again?

“Hey! Ryan! Have you seen Keith?” Ryan shook his head. Lance sighed and starting asking more and more people until finally, he got an answer from Shiro.

“Shiro!” Shiro turned around and jumped a little when he saw Lance’s outfit.

“Yes?”

“Have you seen Keith at all today, Shiro?”

“Well, he told me he was going to go watch the sunset on the Black Lion. You could probably catch him there. Does this have anything to do with your-”

“AWESOME! Thank you _so_ much Shiro bye!” Shiro looked on in confusion as Lance ran out to where the lions were but then chuckled; he never thought he’d see the day where Lance wanted to be near Keith. They really had grown.

  
* * *

  
Keith looked out at the beautiful yellow, orange, and rose painting the sky as the sun began to set. Kosmo snuffled and snuggled closer to his human. Faintly, he heard clanking noises from below, but he ignored them. Then the clanking become louder and he heard Lance’s familiar voice.

“Ugh! Man, you can be a really hard guy to find when you wanna be.”

“Hey, Lance-whoa!” Keith had glanced at Lance a little bit, but jumped and stared when he took in Lance’s costume.

“What are you wearing?!” Lance turned a bit red and sighed irritably.

“Coran made it for my date with Allura.” Lance plopped himself down next to Keith. Keith kept on staring at Lance with his mouth wide open. Even in a silly costume, Lance was still so . . . Lance and-wait; a date with Allura? Is that what Lance had been worried about earlier?

“A date . . . with Allura? Wow . . . well done Lance.” He offered Lance a smile, and Lance smiled too as he took off his bucket helmet.

“Yeah, but . . . I’m not sure if she said yes because she likes me or if Romelle just convinced her to relax. And Lotor too. She liked _him_ , a cool space prince. He’s still here even though he’s unconscious and--I just can’t keep all of these Altean customs straight; I bet Lotor would’ve been able to recite them all.” Lance brings his legs closer to himself, folding his arms and staring at his hands.

Keith studied this Lance carefully. He remembered a time when they were younger and didn’t have such a heavy burden; a time where Lance had come to talk to Keith because of his self-doubt. Keith wasn’t sure if he’d helped then, but Lance had helped Keith accept himself as a leader; he’d make sure that Lance accepts himself as the Lance that had stayed from the very beginning of this whole mess.

“Hey, listen; if she’s going out with you, it’s because she likes _you_ ,” Keith says as he averts his gaze from Lance’s face towards the sunset, “The annoying, stupid, Earth version of you.” He looks back to Lance and watches him chuckle softly. They both stare at the darkening horizon.

“You watching the sunset?”

“Yeah; might be a while before we get to see it again.”

“Man, I’m really gonna miss this place. You sure those defenses are up and running?” Keith huffed at Lance’s jab.

“ _Yes_. That’s why we gotta win this war: to protect Earth and all other planets. And we’re gonna do it with the Lance that’s the Paladin of the Red Lion; the Lance that’s always got my back; and the Lance that knows exactly who he is and what he’s got to offer.” Lance smiled softly at Keith, but he looked down again.

“What am I gonna offer? Kaltenecker?” Keith turned his body to fully face Lance.

“You’ve got the heart and will to fight in this war; you’ve got the personality to bring up any soldier’s morale. That’s what you’ve got.” Lance smiles wide, but then his smile turns into a smirk.

“Who would’ve known you had so much knowledge stored in that mullet?”

“Guess it’s enough to fit in a spaceship.”

“Nah; try a paper airplane.” They both let out a small laugh as the sun starting sinking beneath the horizon.

  
* * *

  
Luca held her sheet-covered legs close to her chest. She heard the door swish open to a familiar face. Romelle looked nervous, twiddling with her hands, but her was face was lit up with relief. Luca narrowed her eyes.

“I’m so glad to see that you’re alright, Luca. _Please_ , we can help; what happened to you? Where’s the colony?” Luca tilted her face up so that Romelle could fully see her face and glared.

“What? So you can betray them yet again?” Seeing that Romelle had the _audacity_ to look shocked sent more waves of anger throughout Luca.

“What do you mean?”

“You _abandoned_ us, Romelle; and for the Paladins of Voltron! The very ones who killed our saviour, Lotor!” Luca could feel the rage overflowing her body as Romelle sputtered about.

“N-no! It’s not like that! Voltron is-! Lotor was-!”

“He was our only hope and saviour in those dark times! He led our people to the light and you’ve sided with his killers, the Great Destroyers!” Luca’s eyes held a crazed look, her voice growing louder.

“She told us of their lies; she’s going to fix it all! She’ll reunite us with Lotor, with Altea! YOU DON’T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST HONERVA-!” Luca gasped as pain rippled through her and she fell back into her cot, her heart monitor frantically beeping until it let out a long, harsh noise. Romelle rushed over to Luca’s side as the monitor began letting out warning sounds, notifying the doctors of the situation as they rushed into the room.  
* * *  
Honerva stood as the purple bubble around her vanished. She knew Luca had slipped up, and her eyes glowed purple as she planned her next move.  
* * *  
“Veronica! VERONICA!” Lance was pacing in front of his mirror, debating how he looked. His sister stuck her head in his room.

“What is it, Lance?” Lance gestured wildly at himself.

“You look fine Lance; stop stressing. Didn’t you say some 80 year old guy helped you out?”

“What? No, no, no, no I said his hair was from-oh forget it! Just . . . y’know.” Veronica smiled at him.

“I’m sure she’ll love you even more after tonight. How about you take her to the ash grove after dinner? Lance grinned at his sister’s idea and was about to reply when the doorbell rang. Lance let out a terrified shriek before composing himself and made his way out his room and down the stairs to meet Allura.

  
* * *

  
Allura knocked on the door of Lance’s house.  The jet boat she took to Cuba was surprisingly fast. She was greeted by a middle aged woman who she assumed was his mother. His mother smiled wide.

“Oh hello! Come in, come in, my dear! You look wonderful! Aren’t I right, Lance?” Allura looked up and saw Lance halfway down the stairs.

Lance paused and felt his jaw drop a little at how beautiful Allura looked. His mother beamed at their interactions.

“Woah, Allura . . . you look really amazing.” He made the rest of his way down the stairs and felt his heart flutter when she let out one of the prettiest giggles he’d ever heard.

“Thank you, Lance. You look quite nice as well.” She gave him a blinding smile and he laughed nervously.

“Well, I know these aren’t any Altean vestments--and I did _not_ want to wear what Coran made for me so-” Allura laughed softly and shushed him with her hand.

“It’s completely fine Lance; as I said before, you still look quite nice.” Lance blushed a little, but then he saw that his mother was still standing next to him and remembered he had to introduce Allura to his family.

“Ah, I almost forgot! Allura, this is my mom! And that’s my papa--and you already know Veronica. That’s Rachel, my brother, Marco, my other brother, Luis, his wife, Lisa, and their kids--my niece and nephew--Sylvio and Nadia.” Allura gave them all a bright smile.

“It’s so lovely to meet all of you!”

  
* * *

  
Everyone sat down to a big dinner and chatting filled the air. Marco decided to start off with an embarrassing story about Lance.

“Remember the one time Veronica mixed dirt with water and told Lance it was chocolate milk?” Veronica let out a bark of laughter and looked sideways to Lance.

“I still can’t _believe_ you fell for that!” Allura let out a small laugh as well. Lance scrunched his face up in a scowl as his family laughed at the story.

“What did he do?” she asked. Veronica let out a huff as she explained.

“He told on me-- _of course_ \--and then papa gave him ice cream and I got none.” Lance’s father sighed.

“You played a dirty trick on him, Veronita; of course you’re not going to get ice cream.” Veronica humphed and crossed her arms.

“Yeah, Lance was always the baby of the family,” Marco added in, “It only took you coming to dinner to finally graduate him to the adult table.” Lance glared at his brother, and he could feel Rachel’s angry glare and pout from the kiddie table. Veronica looked at her brother and smirked. Lance’s eyes went wide when he heard her question.

“Speaking of dates, maybe you could put in a good word for me with the long-haired friend of yours, hmm?” Lance felt like his eyes were going to pop out in surprise.

“What?! Keith? NO, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, haha NO WAY!” Lance’s mother started talking to Allura as Lance ranted about Keith.

“Lance never brings girls home-”

“-NE-VER! NOT IN A _MILLION_ DECAPHOEBS, OK?”

“-you must be someone quite special.” His mother smiled at Allura.

“All that guy likes are knives and space wolves!”

“That’s strange; he always gave off the impression of being rather . . . _popular_ with women.”

“So-! Wh-who even likes those things?! And he’s got a mullet-mullets are _TERRIBLE_ come _ON_!”

“Oh, he gets that from his father; it’s all talk!” His mother chuckled lovingly at the thought of her son’s advances.

“It’s no, just no, NO.” Lance let out a deep breath and crossed his arms. Veronica rolled her eyes at her brother’s speech.

“I’m just kidding, Lance.”

“But if you can get past that, you’ll find good boy with a big heart.” His mother smiled at  
Allura, making Allura remember her own mother and how she was not here. Veronica stood up with her glass.

“A toast; to family. We might be launching off into another world tomorrow, but the thought of family will always be in our hearts.” Veronica raised her glass and the rest of the family stood up and cheered, “To family!” Lance smiled wide but when he noticed Allura’s sad expression, he couldn’t help feeling worried.

  
* * *

  
Lance and Allura were walking beside each other through the partially ruined ash grove. It was still beautiful; the dead tree branches limped, but held a mysterious aura. The crickets chirped nature’s music as the stars and the moon provided angelic light over everything--especially the biggest one right in the center.

“This place used to be so beautiful.” Lance tenderly touched the big tree’s trunk and stared up into the mass of branches. Allura looked down guiltily at the destruction the Galra had caused.

“It’s all my fault that the Galra attacked your planet.” Lance could hear the guilt and sorrow heavy in her voice.

“No, it’s _not_ your fault. Besides, meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He hoped she’d bring that beautiful smile back on her face, but it seemed as if she hadn’t heard what Lance had said as she walked closer to the tree. Lance felt his heart drop a little as she ignored him.

Allura gently placed her hand on the old bark and closed her eyes. Lance watched on as glowing blue spread from her hand and throughout the tree. The blue flowed from branch to branch, covering the dead tree with its mystical light. He watched as branches began to regrow and flowers popped up in beautiful little clusters. The light then started flowing to the other plants in the grove, reviving them all to their luscious state before the attack. Brightly, the grove flashed and Lance closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw the beautiful space he’d known since he was little in its new state. Delicate orange blossom seemed to glow in their new home on the branches, and some fell in the light wind that was now dancing through the grove. Lance smiled wide in wonder as he took in the magical view.

“When we were out there, fighting against the Galra, I felt like you and the rest of the paladins were my . . . family. Each of us was alone in a new place: for you and the others, a new planet, but for Coran and I . . . an entirely different era. But we were alone together.” Allura looked to the ground in sadness, tears welling up in her eyes.

“But now, here on Earth, I see that they were never truly alone; that they have a family to return to and . . . and a home waiting for them once the war is over. But for me . . . my mother and father are not here to welcome me home to the beautiful mountains and fields of Altea, to the smell of blooming juniberries, or even into their loving arms. Even Coran with his tales of Altea can’t fill up this empty pit in me.” Lance heard Allura sniffle a bit and walked closer to her. He stopped in surprise when he heard her let out a small chuckle.

“It’s funny; all this time I gave myself the idea that I needed to be strong for all of you when in reality . . . it was I who depended on all of you.” Lance stood next to Allura and she gave him a watery smile.

“I’m sorry to ruin this last night for you with . . . this. You have truly been so kind to me throughout every part of this journey.” Lance takes one look at her beautiful azure eyes hinted with a mix of lavender and magenta before pulling her into a hug. For a moment, Allura stiffens in surprise before wrapping her arms around Lance and melting into the warm hug.

“Allura, you are _not_ alone; we’re all here for you. We have _always_ depended on you as someone strong, brave, and courageous from the very start of this war. And . . . even if your mom and dad aren’t physically with you, I’m sure they’re always with you in spirit.” Allura let out a soft sob, and Lance worried he’d made her more upset; however, Allura clutched Lance closer.

“Thank you, Lance.” Allura’s voice wobbled and she took a deep breath. Gently, she separated from and just held onto his arm as they gazed up at the starry night sky.

“Tomorrow we return to the stars in order to bring peace throughout the universe, but I sometimes wonder if we can really bring peace everywhere—at least, within our lifetimes. The universe is always expanding.” Allura turned to Lance and saw him put on a quirky little grin.

“We’re the Paladins of Voltron, and after this whole experience, nothing is really _impossible_ to me.” Allura gave a soft laugh that faded into the crickets’ music. Lance decided to take his chance, and broke the silence between them.

“I-I know this is only our first date, but, uh, if you’d like to, maybe we could have more because . . . well, because I’ve liked you for a really long time—since the beginning of this whole war actually. I-if you want to try of course!” He gave her a nervous smile.

Allura felt her heart beat fast; she didn’t know how she felt. Lance was always so kind and caring towards her, and she knew should set limits to try and figure out her feelings and not hurt his, but . . . she’d like to try. She took a deep breath.

“I . . . I’m not sure how I feel, but . . . I think I’d like to try with you.” She smiled at the big grin on Lance’s face and settled closer against him only to be startled by a familiar beeping noise. Beezer extended his little robot legs and waddled over to the new couple. Beezer was making a few more noises and was moving his mechanical ears up and down, and Lance finally got the message.

“I think he wants us to smile.” Allura responded by letting her head fall softly on Lance’s shoulder and smiled. With a bright flash and a popping noise, the picture was taken and Beezer made happy sounds as he presented the picture to them.

“It’s lovely; thank you, Beezer.” Beezer jumped happily in place at Allura’s words before scurrying off, presumably back to Pidge.

They continued watching the twinkling stars that awaited for their arrival the next day.

* * *

They said goodbye to Lance’s family before going back to the Garrison via jet boat. Lance had escorted Allura to her room’s hallway. She smiled, and when she remembered Lance’s words, she felt warm and more self-assured than she had in months.

Upon opening the doors, she saw a distraught Romelle and Coran with a worried look on his face. She frowned and immediately assumed the worst.

  
* * *

On the way to a conference room, the Altean trio picked up Shiro. Allura had changed into her standard Garrison outfit.

“If Honerva sent that beast, then out mission must change.” Allura’s voice was stern and stared stubbornly up a Shiro.

“No; we have to stick with our original plan. If Honerva is really behind this, then I’m sure we’ll find her along the way.” Allura frowned worriedly, and she gave Shiro an unsettling look.

“I have a feeling that she will find us.” Shiro was about to ask more about Luca when the Garrison alarms rang out.

“ _We have a breach_! _I repeat_ : _WE HAVE A BREACH_! _Subject 10704 has awakened and escaped_! _Current location is near hallway M1TC5_.” Allura jumped right out of her chair, scaring Shiro as her chair nearly fell.

“That’s Lotor’s number!” She began sprinting out of the room, leaving Romelle in a state of panic and Coran to stay and comfort her. Shiro watched as the lights outside started flashing read and felt the Garrison descend into pandemonium. He shook himself out of his stupor and and ran after Allura.

  
* * *

  
As Allura ran towards hallway M1TC5, thoughts raced through her mind. Would he be the same or would he have lost his memory? What if he still believed he was good, that he’d saved the Alteans? Allura approached the hallway and saw Lotor’s hulking figure.

There was something wrong with him. He was hunched over, not moving at all. Allura, gulping down air, approached cautiously. Suddenly, Lotor turned around. His eyes shocked her with their bright, unhealthy yellow. Purple shimmer decorated the edges and glimmered dangerously. He gave her a predatory smile before lunging at her.

This was _wrong_. Everything was wrong. Lotor was faster; appeared stronger. He plowed into her and knocked her down. Allura struggled furiously until she finally managed to knee him in the ribs and yank his hair back. Quickly, taking advantage of Lotor’s faltering, she kicked him hard and off of her. He landed with a thud and Allura got up and tackled him. She grabbed his head as the momentum of her jump crashed them into a wall.

Frantically, Allura racked her brain for ideas, going through the information Oriande’s trip had given her. Nothing. Desperate for anything, Allura willed quintessence to flow from her to Lotor as she gripped his head tightly. He struggled before going limp against the floor. In her head, she thought she heard a whisper of his voice before it vanished.

Allura didn’t dare to stop until Shiro appeared in her line of vision.

  
* * *

  
The paladins were called down for an emergency meeting. Hunk came in looking nervous as ever while Pidge looked like she was about to fall over from exhaustion. Lance and Keith looked to be the least sleepy along with Allura.

“This makes our situation even more serious. Though we have neutralized Lotor, it is inevitable that he will wake again.” Allura looked worn out, but her voice was as strong as steel and Shiro mentally gulped when she turned her gaze on him.

“Shiro, I understand that we had a plan, but with Lotor now stabilized, there is even more reason to change routes and go after Honerva.”

“But if we just focus on Honerva, how will we liberate the planets still under Galra rule? Listen, I know Honerva is a huge threat, but at the moment, she hasn’t done anything so far except send that robot. All we can do is be prepared for anything since we don’t know exactly what we’re up against.” Scuffling noises were made as Pidge accidently hit Lance as she raised her hand.

“What if we found a way to scope out Honerva’s plans?” Shiro motioned for Pidge to continue. Pidge let out a yawn before adjusting her glasses and continuing.

“Well, Allura, you sorta tranquilized Lotor with your quintessence alchemy, right? What if you took it a step further and used it to search his mind to gather any information about what Honerva might do?”

“That . . . that might work,” Allura said slowly, her mind whirring as it processed a million other ideas.

“But we’d need to take him with us into space for you to do it. We’re launching in approximately 7 hours. Will it be safe with him aboard?” Curtis, a dark skinned man with even darker hair, looked at Allura nervously with his blue eyes. Allura bit her lip.

“If I can stop him once, I can stop him again.” Steely resolution flashed in her eyes. A light cough directed her attention to Hunk.

“Well, uh, what if you tried to, like, heal Lotor?” The room grew deathly silent as all eyes whipped around to stare at Hunk. Lance gaped at his friend.

“Hunk, are you _crazy_?!” Hunk twiddled his fingers nervously.

“I know he’s done so many horrible things that can’t be excused, and I know you’re very hurt, Allura, when it was known that he’d been sucking life out of your people. But remember that training I took from Dyak? I mean, I took it as a teen-adult and it was torture. Imagine if Lotor had to go through that as a kid.” Allura narrowed her eyes and Hunk quickly continued before he lost courage under her fiery gaze.

“I’m just saying that maybe he had good goals, but chose the wrong way to achieve them because of how he was raised, and that is definitely not his fault. And his dad was Zarkon! Zarkon! That’s like the worst thing ever!” Pidge nodded slowly in agreement.

“Our chances against Honerva might be better if we had a healed up Lotor on our side. It would make her hesitant to hurt us if she knew we had Lotor.” Shiro contemplated his next words carefully.

“They both make a point. We don’t know much about Lotor at all. He did horrible things, but if he was in the right mindset, he could be a huge help to us.”

“I don’t like it as well, but I think they-” Keith was cut off as Allura’s furious gaze turned on him.

“ _I don’t want to hear this from the likes of you_.” Her voice was biting and sharp. Keith actually shrunk in his place, remembering the time when Allura didn’t trust him because of his parentage. Lance held his hands up in a placating manner.

“Woah, Allura, calm down! We’re not saying you have to do this--just that it might be beneficial for us.” Allura took a deep breath and shuddered a sigh. She gave Lance a small, grateful smile before she looked back at Keith.

“I’m sorry, Keith. It wasn’t acceptable of me to say that. I see all your reasoning, but it is also unknown whether I have the ability.” _Or mental strength._

“So right now, a plan of action is still going to be the same one as before, with the addition of us preparing for Honerva and perhaps setting devices up to find her or store Lotor’s information.” Shiro looked to Allura who nodded in affirmation. He gives everyone a tired smile.

“Alright, go hit the sack while you can. We got a big day tomorrow!” The sound of relieved moans and shuffling feet filled the air as they all headed back to bed.

  
* * *

  
“This day will perhaps be the most defining moment in our history.” Shiro looked over the mixed crowd of humans and aliens as Sam Holt gave his speech. The Paladins and half of the Atlas crew stood up on the stage while the other half was inside of the ship.

“The day humankind reaches beyond its own world to help the immense universe of which we inhabit such a small part.” Shiro prepared himself for his part of the speech as Keith started his part.

“In the blink of an eye, the world as we knew it became much larger than we’d ever thought possible. And now we rise up to join the fight alongside with so many others different from us.” Keith looked beside him to see Lance had taken a step to stand next to him.

Krolia looked up proudly at her son. She wished his father was here to see their son doing something so great.

“We’re different, but every one of our differences gives way for something special that makes us all unique. Our differences help us come together in heart and mind to work towards a common goal. You are all needed as we stand firm in the face of tyranny.” Lance looked beside him to Allura as she stepped to be beside him and began her part.

“For all people deserve to decide their own future just as we have decided to spend ours ensuring the freedom of the universe. The power of what or who becomes your future lies in your hearts.” Pidge quickly stepped in line with the other paladins.

“We have become more advanced than ever when we combined the thoughts, ideas, and technology of everyone, no matter who they were. It’s thanks to everyone that we’re able to go back into space to help even more people.” Hunk came up and stood next to Pidge.

“We’ll make sure that peace reaches every corner the universe and that no one will be hurt from tyrannical rule ever again. We’re all made of the same cosmic dust.” At last, Shiro started his part.

“Each and every one of you has given something to this fight. Many have been lost, but not in vain because through their sacrifices, many more will live on.” Shiro stared firmly at the crowd, and made this a silent promise to Adam.

“I make you this promise now: we _will_ return-- _triumphant_.” The crowd of aliens and humans cheered as the crew and Paladins rushed their way onto the ship.

  
* * *

  
As the IGF-Atlas rose into the air, the cheers from down below could still be heard. Assembling in the control room, the Paladins watched as the fluffy white clouds danced as the Atlas ascended the sky, growing closer to the pit of space where their mission awaited.

Emerging out of Earth’s atmosphere, the shining light of the rising sun engulfed the ship as the paladins stood firm. Bathed in the soft yellow hue, the paladins looked onward into space as their mission truly began.


End file.
